The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus updates fans on future as Daryl following season 9 finale

Norman Reedus has given an update on his future with The Walking Dead following the end of a season that saw Andrew Lincoln exit the show.

Reedus became the show's joint de facto lead alongside Carol star Melissa McBride following Lincoln's departure and has scored rave reviews for his performance of Daryl Dixon, whom he's played on the AMC drama since its very first season.

Now, with season nine out of the way and season 10 set to begin production soon, Dixon has assured AMC he wishes to remain on the long-running series into the foreseeable future.

"I don't want to go anywhere. I’ll burn down that whole studio if they got rid of me,' Reedus told Entertainment Tonight.

When asked how he'd like to leave, Reedus said: "I always said I wanted to just walk off into the sunset with a dog, but now so many people are doing that, that I don't know."

[[gallery-0]]

He added that he "doesn't want to die ever" on the show.

Following the broadcast of the finale, which ended on a world-expanding tease, Reedus tweeted a message of thanks to fans as well as showrunner Angela Kang and franchise overseer Scott Gimple.

"Can't wait to get back at it," he wrote. "Thanks everyone for the nice words. We work hard out there [and] really appreciate the love this season."

You can find a rundown of The Walking Dead's most controversial moments below.

The Walking Dead returns to AMC and FOX in October.